Medicines I have Known

          I have never thought of myself as sickly. I feel that I am in good health, but when I compared myself to another man last week, I am a sick weakling, the runt of the litter who should have been turned out into the cold to fend for myself.

            I was asked to visit this man in the hospital. I entered his room, he is about my age, maybe a little older, and was in some serious pain. With his wife's help, he told me his symptoms and I concurred with the doctor's diagnosis that he was having gall bladder issues. I commented, "Ah, that's no biggie. I had mine taken out as an outpatient. I was in by 7:00 and home for lunch."

            For once, I had said the right thing. I could see the great relief in his face as the anxiety drained from him. He was almost giddy, still in pain, but he was better.

            As we talked, I discovered this was the first time in his entire life that he had ever been in a hospital as a patient. "Really," was the only thing I could muster because I was stunned. My first flashing thought after my brilliant statement was, "Has this guy lived his life in a bubble?" My second thought was to attempt to list the times I was in hospitals and all the reasons why. This caused me to marvel more at this man's avoidance of such places.

            His wife further compounded my incredulity by saying, "He's never been sick a day in all our married years."

            "Really," again, brilliantly spoken.

            We went on with our visit, but whenever I could, I brought the conversation back to this man's extreme good health and fortune from injury. I became convinced, he had never been sick a day in his life.

            The reason I am so amazed is that I am near the opposite. I have not been sick every day of my life, but I have spent more than my fair share of time with doctors and hospitals. It is possible that I have become accustomed to illness to the point that it feels normal.

            I was sickly from birth, the runt of previous reference. Fortunately, humans rarely come in litters, so I was kept, nursed, and somehow lived. My mother being a nurse, and having access to doctors, aided my survival, which leads to my current musings. It is a miracle I am alive. If it weren't for modern medicines, I would not be.

            Penicillin was the big drug of my childhood, and I am so glad it was there. I had infections almost continually. I was sickly. I was active, but sick.

            Having my tonsils taken out, something that is rarely done today, aided my health. I stopped having infections, but now I had allergies, which given the clarity of hindsight, were the most likely culprit to begin with.

            Thank goodness for antihistamines. The only problem with the first generation of them was that they made you sleepy. I could be a dopey kid living indoors, half asleep, or an active kid living out of doors, with sneezing, weepy eyes, and difficulty breathing. With medicines, there always seems to be a tradeoff.

            I know the wonder drugs of my youth, penicillin, smallpox and polio vaccines had drawbacks, and a small percentage of people taking them had horrible reactions, some even died, but the good they did far outweighed the bad. In my mind, and most of my generation, it was worth the risk. Smallpox and polio are gone, or controlled, and many sick kids are alive because of the new antibiotics.

            Today is a different story. There are miracle drugs for everything, even things that don't need a miracle. It is nice that I can stop my hair from falling out, but is it worth the expense and side effects? Not to me. The same can be said for a myriad number of diseases and discomforts. To those who suffer from whatever the ailment is advertised on TV tonight, I am sure they are relieved to be taking the medication, but these ads terrify me. If I were a hypochondriac, I would have a new disease every night, and the disclaimers make it sound as if the cure for one thing will be replaced with serious side effects, which are worse than the original disease.

            Due to my aging self, genetic predisposition, and former hard-charging life style, there is a lot wrong with me. I take enough pills daily to choke the proverbial horse. Some have side effects, and my body has had to adjust to them, but would I do without? No, I would not. My quality of life is enhanced by these medications. I am thankful for them. Without them, I would have been dead a long time ago.   

            The life expectancy in the US today is 77.9 years, up from 47.3 in 1900. There are many factors that contribute to the increase, but a lot is due to advances in medicines. I am grateful that I do not suffer from some of the diseases advertised on TV, but if I did, I would be thankful that there is something to ease the suffering. If it weren't for such remedies in my day, we runts of the litters would be long gone.